Awning-operating mechanism.



No. 784,475. PATENTED MAB.. 7, 1905.

'I'. J. DANIELS. v AWNING OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 29, 1904.

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NITED STATES Patented March '7, 1905.

PATENT OEEICE.

AwNlNG-oPl-:RATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 784,475, dated March '7,1905.

Application filed February 29, 1904. Serial No. 195,782.

To all whom, it may concern,

B'e it known that I, THOMAS J. DANIELS, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in AwningOperating Mechanism, of which the following' is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements made in means or devices forraising and lowering window-awnings in which the handcrank for turningthe winding shaft or windlass is connected by gears for multiplying' thepower or for applying it in the required direction.

The invention has for its object mainly to provide such awning-operating mechanism with a locking or holding device that will bestrong' and durable, certain in action, and reliable under allconditions, and particularly it is designed with a view to provide alocking' means for mechanism of this character to handle large and heavyawnings. The locking means heretofore provided for this purpose, so faras I am aware, have been arranged to engage the teeth of one of thegears and have usually consisted of a dog or 'catch of some kindarranged to drop into the spaces between the working teeth of the gearat the proper time to prevent further rotation of the gear; but suchmode of controlling the winding mechanism by using the working teeth ofthe gears as a part or element of the locking device is found to beunmechanical and defective in many respects, owing to the fact thatgear-teeth being' constructed, primai-ily, for rolling contact withanother gear are not of proper' shape or size to offer asufficientlystrong and effective resistanceto engage and hold the latchwhich forms the lock and as the part or member provided on the latchitself to engage the teeth of the gear must necessarily conform to theshape of the gear-teeth or to the form of the spaces between the teethto such extent as to form an element of weakness in the holdingproperties of the lock. In my present improvement I aim to overcomethese defects and to provide a safetyloek that will act promptly withoutdanger of slipping by forming locking projections of in the box.

rectangular shape on the body of the gear separate from or independentlyof the gear-teeth and providing the latch with a projection of similarshape, it being thus posssible to form the parts that are arranged tointerlock of suflieient thickness to secure the required strengthwithout changing or affecting the working teeth of the gear.

The nature of the said invention and the manner in which I proceed toconstruct, ap-

ply, and carry out the same are described at length in the followingdescription and set` forth in the claims at the end thereof, referencebeing had tothe accompanyingdrawings.

Figure l of the drawings is a longitudinal sectional view of anawning-operating mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 11L is asectional view of the latch-piece detached. Fig. 2 is a plan view,partly broken away. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the right end of Fig. l.Figs. 4 and 5 show the locking-gear in plan View and side view. Fig. 6represents a slight modification of the locking-gear in which theprojections Vengaged by the latch are arranged on the periphery of thegear instead of on the hub. Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6.

In the awning-operating mechanism here shown two bevel-gears z aresupported to engage and work at right angles within an inclosing b'ox orcase O, in which are provided strong bearings on both sides of the gearsto carry the shafts or other part that forms the axis for the gear toturn on. The gear a is secured on ashort rod (Z, having one endextending outside the box and usually flattened and provided with aneyef to form, with a similar member on the end of the rod which connectswith the awning-winding shaft, a knucklejoint in the well-known lnannerof coupling the rod of the awning-winding shaft or roller with theoperating-gear. The opposite end of the rod (I, extending beyond theface of the gear a, has a step-bearing g in a block lixed In this blockalso is a second bearing, fm, for a short axle 'n on the face of theother gear, and in the closed front of the box is a circular opening y),in which the hub s of the gear is fitted to turn. To this gear b isattached the hand-crank II inthe IOO usual way by fitting the squareshank 7L of the crank to slip into a socket t of corresponding shape inthe hub of the gear. The handcrank is thus detachable when not in use,and the gears being inclosed by the box they are both protected frominjury and from accumulation of dirt when the box is secured in positionagainst a wall or the front of a building.

In the best forms and constructions of mechanism of this character thelocking device by which the rod or shaft of the awning-winding mechanismis locked after the awning is raised or wound up is situated within thegear-box, so as to be entirely inclosed and where it cannot be tamperedwith by mischievous persons; but in all cases of such application andarrangement the working teeth of one of the gears, and usually the geara on the rod, have been utilized for a part or element of the clutch orlocking means.

In my present improvement I provide on the gear a a number ofalternately-arranged and radially-set projections 2 and spaces orrecesses 3 on the back of the gear and around the hub, as seen in Figs.1', 2, and 3, and within the space provided for` that purpose 4in therear of the box C behind the gear I attach a relatively heavylatch-piece l by a hinge-joint at the top, from which point ofsuspension it will hang perpendicularly down and with its inner side orface in close relation to but clear of the working teeth of the gear a.On the face of the latch-piece and in line with the projections on thehub of the gear is a tooth or projection 6 of rectangular shape incross-section cast or formed solidly with the latch-piece and of properthickness or Idimensions transversely to tit readily in the space orrecess between two adjacent projections on the gear. These projections 2are likewise rectangular in cross-section and of By placing the point ofsuspension 5 ofr the latch-piece forward of the vertical plane in whichthe tooth engages and locks the gear and extending the body of thelatch-piece below the tooth the latch will operate by gravity and willswing forward into the projections on the gear as soon as the latch isreleased.

The coiled spring 8, attached to the latch-4 piece and to a fixed pointon the casing, as seen in Figs. l and 2, will insure a quick action ofthe lock under the conditions of use. A The means provided for throwingoff the lock and holding it out of action during the revolutions of theshaft as effected by the handcrank are the same as those already in usein the principal features-that is to say, the construction is such thatthe' locking device is thrown clear of the gear by the act of connectingthe hand-crank to turn the gears, and it is also held out of action aslong as the handcrank remains attached. Onthe other hand, on detachingthe hand-crank the latch is automatically thrown on. In the presentconstruction the square shank 7L of the hand-crank, which is fitted tothe socket of corresponding form in the hub S of the gear, is providedwith a pin or cylindrical extension 9 on the end, while the gear itselfhas a cylindrical aperture running through it from the bottom of thesocket containing' a pin l0, loosely fitted to slide in it and havingits rear end in line with and in close relation to the lower end of the'latch-piece. This pin is of such length that its front end will standwithin or below the botttom face of the socket t; but as the squareshank of the hand-crank is entered in the socket the pin 9 on the end ofthe shank will strike the head of the push-pin and press the latter backin its socket and force back the latch-piece. The object of thisconstruction is to conceal the push-pin from view at the front, and thusprevent the latch-piece from being too readily tampered with. Y

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an awning-operatingv mechanism the combination with anawning-operating shaft, a beveled gear fast thereon, a second beveledgear in continual engagement with the firstnamed gear and havinga hubprovided with a socket,a detachable hand-crank having a shank forinsertion in said socket for turning the said gear, radially-setprojections on the back of the first-named gear and extending around thecircumference thereof separately of the gearteeth; of a swinginglatch-piece suspended from a pivotal point situated above the plane ofthe said projections and adapted to normally engage the same by gravitythe body of said latch-piece being arranged behind and in line with thesocket in the hub of the socketcarrying gear, and means inclosed withinsaid socket and interposed between the latch-piece and the shank of thecrank when the latter is inserted, by which the latch-piece is pressedback and held out of the projections on the IOO gear by the act ofplacing the crank in the gear to turn it, and is released and allowed todrop into the projections by gravity by the act of removing the crank.

2. In an awning-operating mechanism, in combination, an awning-operatingshaft having a beveled gear thereon, a gear engaging therewith havingspaced projections arranged circumferentially of the gear and separatelyof the teeth thereof, a suspended latch-piece pivotally attached at theupper end at a point above the plane of rotation of thc said pro- IZOjections, and having a tooth to engage the said projections and normallyheld therein by gravity, a second beveled gear in continual engagementwith the first-named gear and having a hub provided with a socket, ahand-crank having a shank insertible in the socket for turning the saidgear, and means inclosed within the socket operating to engage and holdback the latch-piece when the shank of the handeranl is pressed into thesocket, and to release I O the latch-piece when the crank is removed.

In testimony whereofl I have hereunto set my name to this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS J. DANIELS. fitnessesz EDWARD E. OsBoRN, M. REGNER.

